Patronus
by Black White and Superstitious
Summary: Hatsune Miku loved taking care of her "family." It's the center of her teenage life. But her deceased "piano teacher" distinguished Shion Kaito had described her in his will as one of two heirs to his business, which was darker than she thought. This introduces her to her bodyguard, Len Kagamine, who seems to despise her for reasons he refuses to say...
1. Chapter 1

Shrimpy: Hello! Today is the day I was born, so I decided that since there was this plot raccoon nagging me all week I would write this.  
I have been thinking scenes in this story for a month and it's high time I wrote it! Here goes!

SUP  
I HAVE RETURNED  
ARE YOU GUYS OKAY  
DID YOU SEE ME GUEST STAR IN BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION  
I'M PROUD OF MYSELF I DID GOOD  
She was rude and she called Len a..."bitch." I'm mad because of that, but she still needs to eat and she's been getting kibble anyway. By the way, there will be a lot of curse words in this story. Please forgive me! OnO  
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Miku Hatsune glanced at her bracelet. It was beautiful, gold and intricate with a dark blue jewel glittering in the center. It was a gift from someone important and she never took it off. The bus was moving, and she felt herself jump with every bump on the road. It was not a lovely thing to do, riding the bus when it was raining, but Ritsu was sick. She didn't even want to leave the six-year-old's side to go and buy medicine, preferring to care for her "siblings" by hand. Still, she had no choice. Miku had to travel on a bus to buy medicine for a throat infection, which she could not get unless she traveled half a mile. Ritsu readjusted himself and leaned his head against her shoulder. His cheeks were red with fever, and his small hand was tightly gripping hers.

She really hated the fact that she had to take him out when it was raining, too.

Lui, her twelve-year-old brother and second-in-command, was at school and couldn't afford to miss a test that day just to stay with Ritsu. She had _three_ tests that day but didn't want to tell him. Lui was an honor student who couldn't afford to damage the good reputation. She sighed and looked out the window, the image of outside blurred with rain.

She could hear impatient tapping against the window, and Ritsu squirming in his seat to get comfortable on the hard bus chair, and the silent murmuring of a man on his cell phone three rows ahead of them. If Miku wanted, she could complain and whine about this lifestyle, but she found it rather cozy. Though she didn't like the rain, she was used to her "siblings," all adopted as babies from broken homes, and she was used to taking care of them. Ryuto was the second most affected by Ritsu's ailment. He shared a bed with Ritsu because there wasn't enough space, and now he had to move over to Lui's bed. Lui was not very..._contained_ when he fell asleep. She didn't want Lui to roll over and crush the green-haired boy, but there was no more space left in her and Yuki's room.

Speaking of Yuki now, the girl had a recital and Miku had to attend this saturday. She needed to juggle making dinner, taking care of a sick boy, and seeing Yuki play a flute. The girl was quite talented with that thing, actually. She could play it all day and no one in the house, Not Miku, Lui, Ryuto or Ritsu would complain.

And now, Ritsu. She remembered he was sick. Ritsu was a confused little boy. He was not sure of whether he wanted to be a girl or a boy, apparently, and every day more and more people confused him for a girl. His hair was bright red and straight, stopping midback. His behavior, voice and his appearance made him look just like a little girl. The sad thing was, he looking nothing like Miku, or anyone in their home, but he had convinced himself that everyone under their roof was named "Hatsune." Ritsu was sure that they were all related by blood. Lui and Miku, the only ones knowing the truth, were unsure of how to tell the three younger children that they were adopted from bad families.

The "Little Ginger" (Lui liked to tease him because of his red hair) stirred and looked up at Miku. His eyes were mostly a dark lavender, but the bottoms of his irises were clearly and distinctly as yellow as a canary. They were big and sleepy-looking. "Miku-nee," He croaked, his voice still sounding weak. "Don't talk, Ritsu-kun. Your throat is still bad." He frowned, but pressed his lips together.

Soon after, he said something again. "Nuh-uh, if I swallow slowly, it isn't bad," He protested. "Hush, Ritsu-kun. Your voice doesn't sound cute," Miku reasoned. If their was one way to get under Ritsu's skin, it was to tell him that in some way he wasn't cute, or someone was cuter. Miku thought this trait was vain, but everyone else seemed to find it unique. Either way, he huffed. "I'm cute, Miku-nee-chan!" The tealette giggled. "No, I think Yuki is cuter." "No way! I'm cuter! And someday, I'll be even prettier than her, too! I'll be prettier than even Miku-nee!" He folded his arms and turned over. Miku felt her cheeks warm up a little. Ritsu had an absolutely inhuman intelligence when it came to fashion and style and all things beautiful, so it was a compliment that Ritsu strived to surpass her. However, the Little Ginger had dubbed all of his family fairly beautiful in their own ways. Perhaps this six-year-old knew what he was talking about when he spoke of what was beautiful and what was not.

She patted his head and looked out the window. How long was it until they reached that stupid pharmacy, anyhow? She searched the streets for any sign that had the familiar blue star at the end. The pharmacy she was thinking about had an outlet from Shion Corp. She only trusted them for her medical needs. After all, the man who had single-handedly built up Shion Corp was someone she trusted with her life. Alas, that was a tale for another time.

Suddenly, her phone rang in her pocket. Her and Ritsu seemed to have this synchronized jumping plan, because every time her phone rang he was just as surprised as her. She pulled it out of the pocket of her red sweater. When she checked to see who the call was from, she was honestly a little surprised to see it was from Lui's Principal.

SHe lifted the phone to her ear. "Uh...Hello?" She said, still confused. "Is this Hatsune Miku, Hibiki Lui's guardian?" She gulped. "This is Hatsune Miku. Is something wrong?" Ritsu looked up, clearly bored of being mad and staring at the cruddy bus floor. "Who is it, Miku-nee-chan?" He whispered. On the other end, the woman with her strong voice said, "We would like you to come to the school immediately. It seems Lui was in a fight today."  
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When Miku entered the Hamaya Elementary of Science building, with a sick Little Ginger clinging to her arm, she was greeted with warmer air that spread a feeling of dread. It was a school where children cried and tried to get past strict teachers, homework assignments and bullies. Ritsu, having gone to this place for only a year, was still horribly afraid of it. Every child was. Even _Miku _was afraid of it, and she had never attended Hamaya. It seemed clean and quiet, with children in single-file lines walked through a clean and well-lit hallway while passing cubbies of neat jackets. They followed prim and proper teachers, all dressed sharply with tight and grim expressions. This seemed like a slaughter house for children and the amount of times her siblings had begged to be removed from it seemed more than reasonable.

"Good to see you here, Hatsune Miku-san." The voice was all too loud and clear in this dead quiet hallway. Some children looked up from the clean waxed floors with fear, while others seemed to try and ignore it. Miku let out a cry, along with her small brother, and they spun around. The woman was dressed in a black skirt with sensible shoes and a crisp white shirt under a black jacket. Her dark brown hair was cut into a bob cut, and her eyes were dark brown. It was almost brown like chocolate pudding, reallly, but you'd never suspect pudding to glare holes into your head. She pressed her red lips into a thin line and waited for the younger girl to speak.

"S-Sakine Sensei!" Miku said with a deep bow. Ritsu attempted to remain hidden behind the spooked tealette. She didn't think that Ritsu was scared of Sakine Meiko, but she was sure that Ritsu hated the woman with a passion. Sakine returned the fiery purple gaze with her own intense stare. "And why is this one not attending school?" Sakine asked dully. She barely gestured to Ritsu, who stuck his chin up and turned to look at the lines of children. "Ritsu is sick with a throat infection. We were both on our way to get his antibi-" Sakine held up her hand. "I don't need your whereabouts, though I apologize that Lui's predicament has disturbed your plans. If you'll follow me." Without another word or even a glance, the woman swiftly turned around on her tall, red heels and walked off.

Miku struggled to keep up with the woman, because her pace was much faster than Miku was used to and Ritsu didn't really want to move. She was led past a dull array of grey metal lockers and to a black door. Sakine pushed it open like she was pushing someone out of her way and walked into a room with a dark green carpet. Miku stepped in, carefully avoiding the door that was swinging back in delayed retaliation. And there, she saw a blond boy staring lividly at a grey desk. He looked up. Miku recognized his yellow eyes with fine, orange-yellow hair hanging into them. His left eye was swollen with a light purple bruise.

Across from him was a calm boy with wavy, forest green hair and red spectacles. He was drumming his fingers on the desk. Sakine Sensei needed only to cut him a quick glance for him to stop the tapping and fold his hands in his lap. "Mi-" Lui began, but Sakine shot him a look that also made him go silent and look back down at the desk. Miku realized that the Green-haired boy also had a rip in the seam of his school jacket and a busted lip. As she timidly stepped closer, it seemed that the two of them were both scuffed up. There was a scratch just above Lui's eyebrow and another bruise on the side of his face. What surprised her even more? Ryuto was standing beside Lui, holding one of his hands. The seven-year-old was not as afraid of Sakine as everyone else, and said, "Ohayo, Ane-san."

"These two were caught fighting on school property, about ten meters away from the playground," Sakine said, the clicks of her heels dulled by the carpet. She slammed a hand on the table, causing Lui and the boy across from him to wince. "Nakajima Gumo and Hibiki Lui are both honor students. If you'll listen to-" The door suddenly burst open. A very angry woman with green hair like Gumo's stepped into the room. She had topaz, star-shaped earings dangling from each of her ears, and her hair was tied into a long ponytail. "Nakajima Gumiya, you should be ashamed of yourself! Picking a fight with-" The woman eyed Miku, but she didn't look anywhere near Sakine Sensei. The brunette did not take kindly to being ignored, much less being interrupted. "Excuse me, Nakajima-san. If you would please sit down, I would be happy to assess our current situation." Miku realized there was a chair right next to her, and took a seat. Ritsu plopped down in her lap.

The move did not escape Sakine's attention. "Ritsu, take a _seat_. On a _chair_," She said, a warning of venom dripping from her voice. Ritsu stuck his tongue out at her in response. "Sakine, please explain the situation as you said you would," Nakajime-san said firmly. She folded her arms and sat stiffly in the chair. "Gladly. Your son was caught fighting with Hibiki Lui, ten meters away from the playground. Would you boys care to explain why you were fighting in the first place?" Miku took Lui's other hand. The boy looked up at her and sighed. "Me and Nakajima were fighting...because he tried to pick on Ryuto." The little boy leaned and waved at the woman, Who gave him a confused look with her orange eyes.

"I did _not_," Gumo said indignantly. "This kid called my little sister a slut." All eyes were on Ryuto, who replied, "I called her a hussy. And it's true, after all. She's in a relationship with a boy who already has a girlfriend. Isn't that what you call it, Ane-chan?" After this everyone turned to Miku. "Huh? Well, yes, that's the word for it. But there is no reason for you to call someone that out of the blue. And anyway, that's the only reason you two were fighting? A name?" "It's the principle. I will not allow him to hurt Ryuto! It was nothing, anyway! He's not very strong, I can take him!" Lui proclaimed. "Excuse me, Hibiki? Who got more hits in? You or me?" Gumo rose from his seat, as did the blond boy.

"You think you can handle a second time, four-eyes?"

"So you think _you're _tough enough for that, Blondie?"

"The two of you, sit down. You're getting detention for two weeks, do you understand?" Lui gawked at Sakine Sensei, who was busy studying her long red nails. Maybe if her gaze was sharp enough, she could cut her nails by staring. "Are you serious?" He cried, forgetting his fear. "That's not-" "And now you have detention for four weeks. Are you proud of your development, or would you like to try for six?" Sakine cut in violently. Lui slumped back into his chair, as did Gumo. "Sakine Sensei-" "What?" The woman sent Miku a curt stare that made the tealette shift uncomfortably. "It's just that, well, that," Miku replied softly, pointing to the door.

The man at the door was mildly surprised. He had black hair stuffed under a blue cap. He was very tall, actually. Tall and lanky and sort of pale. He held a dark cardboard box and a clipboard in his arms, looking, at the child's play that went on in this grim office. He looked amused. His eyes were dull red. Miku had not noticed the monotone ticking of a black clock high on the right wall, but now she did. She tried to focus on that and avoid flinching as Sakine strode right past her. Without a word she tugged the man out if the room and shut the door.

There were muttered words, sounding venomous and cold from the other side of the door. Miku stared at the clock while Ritsu played with her hand, and Gumo was having some sort of death-glare staring contest with Lui. Ryuto tried to get his older brother's attention. Overall, the only exception of noise was the clock ticking and the argument out in the hall.

_What could they be fighting about? Do they even know each other?_

Many moments in Miku's life were unfortunately quiet and uncomfortable. She had yet to get used to it, even after seventeen years. She watched as the door opened and slammed shut, Sakine Sensei striding into the room silently. Miku glanced at her folded arms.

_Strange...she's empty handed..._

Sakine paused and turned to the door. She looked like she was regretting something, and that seemed odd to Miku. "Your children ought to serve to a better purpose. Keep in mind you youngsters were not designed for defense," she said bitterly. "Now, four weeks of detention were my punishment. I have decided the real discipline comes to what a parent sees fit, and so on top of that I'm asking what your guardians would like to add." She turned to Nakajima-san, the green haired woman burning through her son with orange eyes. "Certainly, Sakine. Add an extra week of detention and three weeks of extra credit to that, please." Gumo looked up with shock. "MOM!"

"You knew that we expected better from you! If you're going to act like that when being punished, why not get another week of extra credit work?" She snapped. "Four weeks extra credit homework and five weeks detention. Hatsune, what would you like to add to Lui's punishment?" Sakine turned and looked expectantly at her. "Um...please take half of Nakajima Gumo's additional punishment and give it to Lui," Miku said. Everyone gap ed at her except for Ritsu, who had no idea why he was there, and Ryuto, who was cooler than a cucumber. "I meant put half of Gumo's punishment to Lui instead of pushing it all on him. It's fair, because they both were wrong for what they did, but they don't need an excessively harsh price to pay."

Sakine shook her head. "Too soft on him," she muttered. "Very well. Nakajima and Hibiki both have four and a half weeks of extra credit work and two weeks of extra credit now." Gumo fleetingly glanced at Miku, who grabbed Ritsu up and walked to the door. Nakajima-san and Gumo were both looking curiously at the teen, while Sakine was observing her carefully.

"Hatsune Miku-san."

Miku froze in her tracks and responded with a soft, "yes?"

"Be aware that no punishment feels too harsh," Sakine Sensei said as she walked casually to the door, "when you are protecting someone you love." Her piercing eyes did not show any discretion when she locked eyes with the girl.

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Miku shivered when she remembered what Sakine Sensei had told her earlier. Ritsu looked up innocently with his dark purple eyes. "Are you cold too, Miku-nee?" He asked. "Go back to sleep, Ritsu-kun. You can't get better if you waste energy talking," she said softly. He shook his head, his silky red hair moving over his petite shoulders just with that action. "You're a scaredy-cat, aren't you?" He said, his eye brow raised with disdain. She reached up and pinched his hot cheeks with her cold fingers. He yelped.

"It's okay though. Sakine Sensei is a retard," He rasped, rubbing his cheeks. They were more red instead of pink now. "Where did you learn that word?" She scolded. "Lui-kun calls her that all the time. Is it a bad word?" Ritsu wasn't very attentive, even though he had asked the question. She nodded. "I don't ever want to hear that word from you again, or else I'll wash your mouth out with soap," she said firmly. He nodded, curling up with his head in her lap. "The nice smelling soap?" He asked in a yawn. Miku stared at the foggy window. It was no longer raining, but it was chilly. "I'll do it with the bad soap that smells like rancid raspberry pie," she said.

Ritsu fell asleep quickly, and she was virtually alone in her silence. At least she had managed to get the antibiotics. She expected a full-on war from the Little Ginger about swallowing bitter syrup from a cheap plastic bottle, but that was just something she had to deal with. Besides, she didn't mind. She liked how after he drank all the medicine, she'd go to her father's old cabinet and unlock it. Behind the aged, imported whiskey was a glass jar of peppermint candies. She remembered having used them for as far back as she possibly could. After spoon feeding Lui some nauseating cold medicine, she would hand him a peppermint to get the flavor off of his tongue. She could never mind taking care of her siblings, fake or not.

The bus halted in front of a red light. She looked out the window and noticed something...odd. It was a tall girl with short black hair in pigtails, And though Miku could not see well through the rain she was positive this girl was looking straight at her. She confirmed this when the girl grinned lazily and waved. One of her eyes was a sparkling light blue, and it flickered like rippling water. It made Miku look down at her bracelet from Kaito Shion, with the proud blue gem appearing to glow.

What really freaked her out was the girl's other eye. It was barely visible from so far away, but she recognized it as dull red.

The bus started up again with a tremor, and slowly the girl disappeared to Miku's right. Out from an old habit, Miku pressed the blue stone with its haunting glimmer. "Kami-sama," she breathed. She leaned back in her seat and urged her mind to process the fact that a girl she had never met before had totally recognized her.

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Shrimpy: yes, I decided to use Yokune Ruko. She's one of my favorites, after all. I feel like she gets poor recognition, I want her to be noticed a lot more! Besides, she was absolutely perfect for the role.

YEAH WELL SHE'S USING A NUMBER OF UTAU CHARACTERS IN THIS ONE

This story is new and it's from a kinda new user. I half expect it to be crap.

I TOTALLY EXPECT THAT

IF IT TURNS OUT NOT TO BE CRAP I OWE EVERYONE A BEER

No alcohol! OnO

AUGH WHAT

I CAN'T GIVE THEM MY KIBBLE BEER IS THE ONLY OTHER OPTION

Half of us here are minors!

UGH WHATEVER

THANKS FOR READING GUYS WE'RE WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER


	2. Chapter 2

Shrimpy: well, TSILY gave me a writer's block which might last about 2-5 days. And because I feel bad and I really wanted this particular show on the road, I'm writing this thing. Right now. OuO

Ruko fell asleep, but I'll wake her up.

Okay, so 1...2...3...

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"Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Ni-GYAAA!" The blonde flipped over in the air and hit the ground. Her blue eye and blue-green eye both flitted up to glare at the jaded blond boy.

"What? You're easy to overturn," he said with a shrug. He turned around and walked over to the wall, where his water bottle stood. The girl huffed and got off of the ground. "A gentleman helps a lady up," she snapped. She grabbed her bottle full of orange juice and began to gulp it down. "I'm not a gentleman, need I fucking remind you," he replied, wincing. The girl's expression softened. "How bad does it hurt now?" She asked. It was, funny how she could care for him and what happened when she disliked him, and he hated her. No one knew why. He glanced up and nonchalantly answered, "bad enough to blow my brains out a second time." Then he swallowed the last gulp of water in his bottle.

She sighed. _Stupid 2.5,_ she thought, and she reached into her pocket to grab the prescription painkillers buried beneath wrappers for her favorite orange candy. The young man didn't even look up. "I've already tried, 02. Even experimental drugs. None of them work." The cold, jaded term was not something she liked. The blonde shook her head and held the bottle out for him to grab. Of course, he didn't. "I repeat, 02, I'm not taking that shit." She groaned. "My name is _Rin_. You have a name too," she corrected. He ignored her, grabbing his dark blue duffel bag.

"Listen up, okay? Maybe you ought to see an analyst. Maybe they can fix you...?" She frowned, and she felt herself almost begging him to get help for all that crazy, screwed up stuff going on inside his brain and eye. Every time she saw him, she saw that black eye patch penetrating her thoughts as well as his intense, cold left eye. Every single one of _them_ had that same blue eye, but his case was different.

"You need help! You can't fight it on your own!" She almost shouted after him. After her words of concern was the gloomy silence he always had around him. She grumbled to herself. The only one brave enough to call him by his "given" name was Ruko, and even so the tall raven seemed to suffer his wrath at a more intense degree. However, if one wished to get his attention, all they had to do was call him by that name...

"Len Kagamine!" She said firmly. She saw his back stiffen, and he snapped his gaze to her. The burning of his anger was evident, because his blue eye seemed so cold it gave Rin a sense that he was trying to _burn_ holes into her head in the stead of shooting her with a glock, or harpoon or something.

She swallowed her trepidation. Yes, she was scared of him. Even Ruko was a little frightened by his...anger issues. "Get. Some. Help," she said, raising her voice. "Fuck you," he said flatly. It wasn't very long before he had disappeared from her sight. If there was one thing that everyone knew about Len Kagamine, it was that he hated everyone.

At least, that was what it seemed.

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"Miku-nee, Miku-nee, Miku-nee, Miku-nee! I drew us a picture!" Ritsu ran across the wood boards of their kitchen floor. Miku looked up from the pan and watched the excited Little Ginger use his small legs to run to her. He held a paper above his head with a neat crayon drawing. Miku set down her spatula and turned completely to him. "See? I drew Ryuto-kun and Yuki-chan and Lui-nii-san and Teto-chan and Ha-chan and Ru-chan and Kuro-kun there's me and you're right here." As he sped straight through the introduction, he pointed to each person he identified. Everyone had big happy smiles and hair in respective colors and styles. Miku, with her long teal hair in twin tails, and Yuki who assumed the same style to "be more like Miku-nee-chan." Miku smiled at the memory. As soon as Yuki could pronounce "ponytail," she had requested the hairstyle.

Ritsu had also conveniently labeled everyone. Miku's heart sank when she read the listed names in his surprisingly good handwriting. Neru Akita, Teto Kasane, Rei Kagene, Haku Yowane, Miku Hatsune, Lui Hatsune, Ryuto Hatsune, Yuki Hatsune and Ritsu Hatsune. _That's right_, she thought, _he's thought this way since he was a baby..._

Miku felt a tug on the hem of her white shirt. She turned to look upon Yuki, the little girl looking seriously even with her brown doe-eyes. "Miku-nee, school starts at eight fifteen, and it's eight o'clock right now..." Miku jumped. "Crud! Ritsu-kun, I need you to brush Yuki-chan's hair. Lui-kun, take care of these eggs while I help Ryuto tie his shoes!" Everyone sprang into action. It was not odd for Ritsu to brush their hair, as he liked it and he was good at it. He had good fun, even if he was such a strange child.

Miku knelt down and began to tie the laces of Ryuto's green shoes. It was easy, since she had learned how to tie a strong yet simple knot from Kaito Sensei. And, speaking of Kaito Sensei, she looked up at his framed picture on the shelf. It stood in a straight row next to pictures of the always adorable baby Ritsu, and Yuki when she lost her first tooth. Ryuto and Lui had both participated in a race at the park three years ago, and it was their proudest brotherly moment. It was captured forever in a vivid photo, both with toothy grins and a blue ribbon held in their small hands.

If Miku could recall correctly, Lui was Ryuto's favorite. Technically they were not allowed to have favorites. But they did. Lui was Ryuto's favorite, and Ritsu was her favorite. Yuki did not play favorites, and everyone loved her anyway. Miku was sure the brunette would grow up beautiful and gentle and everyone would like Yuki Kaai. Her teacher was always praising her, too.

"Ane-san," Ryuto said softly. She was out of her thoughts in less than a second. "Yes sweetie?" She smiled, and Ryuto's sad expression melted away like ice in an oven. The gloom was replaced by a placid grin that revealed his two front teeth, which were more prominent than the rest of them. "Lui-nii-san always tells me that your smile is nice. And he doesn't even need to tell us." He locked his fingers together and seemed to start swaying like stalks of wild grass in the wind. Miku wondered what brought about the fact that all of her siblings were part of such a harmonious relationship. (Aside from Lui's temper and Ritsu's tantrums, of course.)

"But I wanted to ask why Kaito-nii-san died..." the toothy smile had been poisoned by sadness again. "Ah...Kaito Sensei...died in a car accident..." Miku said, and she reached up to quickly wiped away the heavy tears that were blurring her vision.

Kaito Shion was her only older sibling. He had grown up without knowing her, and he alone brought up Shion Corp. Then he found out she existed. He wanted to get those years apart to mean nothing. So he had been meeting his kid sister as her piano teacher. All this shock came to her when she was six. She remembered crying so hard she had to lie down afterwards. It had been her very own big brother, whom at the time of meeting was her only brother. And ever since he told her who she was, they did all the things one could not really do without a little sister or big brother.

He had taken her to fairs and movie theaters, and libraries and candy shops. Kaito had really loved ice cream, if she recalled correctly. All this fun with a sibling until she turned eleven. And then as quickly as he had come into her life, Kaito Shion was dead. They never told her the cause of death. They never told her his last words. So to prevent the confusion, she told her siblings he had died in a car crash. Excluding Ryuto, who had never actually asked before now.

She felt years of happiness and sorrow hit her all over again as she remembered Kaito Sensei. She realized she could not hold it in, and in all embarrassment she sobbed in front of her poor little brother. "Ane-san, don't cry!" Lui almost ran out of the kitchen to see her bury her face in her hands.

"Kaito-kun..." She whispered, not wiping her watering eyes fast enough. Ritsu wandered over to her and started to stroke her hair. "It's okay, Miku-nee. It's okay." He repeated this like a mantra while the blond twelve-year-old lured the other children into the kitchen with the promise of "eggs that aren't burned." When Miku looked up, Ritsu was frowning. "What's the big idea, Miku-nee? You're making everyone ignore me," he demanded, handing her a tissue. Miku laughed at his self-centered behavior. "I'm sorry Ritsu-kun. I just miss Kaito Sensei," she said contritely. He tossed his shining red hair over his shoulder and turned around to walk into the kitchen.

"Miku-nee-chan needs to get stronger. When someone dies, it's not like they're dead and _gone_. We still have beautiful memories and photos right here," he sighed. He left to go into the kitchen. "Kami-sama...that child can be so wise and yet so self-contained...I wonder why?" She thought aloud. She got off of the floor and shook out her leg, which was currently asleep with her sitting on it for some time. After taking in a deep breath she walked into the bathroom like twenty pounds of worry had been removed from her shoulders. After all, she was a pack mule when it came to worry.

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When she arrived at her high school, Miku realized she was grateful for two things: 1) Ritsu was an impressive negotiator and 2) the bus driver was too sleep deprived to deny anything at this point. She only had to pay half the price since she had forgotten to prepare bus fare for herself as well as the rest of the children. She only had enough money left for a steamed bun. How was poor Haku going to eat? She hardly had enough yen to buy a root beer.

Ah, well. They could simply share a bento with Teto. The pinkette always made the best lunch. These were some of the many tiny reasons Miku loved her humble little life. So, as the tealette wandered through the halls, she smiled to herself. "Miku-chan!" She turned around the address Haku, the albino girl waving from across a sea of shuffling teens. Teto was next to her, bouncing up and down. "Mi-chan! Mi-chan, over heeeere!" The pinkette was short, but just as energetic as Pinkie Pie.

Haku said something in a soft voice, and Teto replied, "Course not, Ha-chan! I switched to Raisin Bran. I stopped eating Lucky Charms yesterday! You're so silly!" The shorter girl reached up to ruffle Haku's silver-white hair. Haku glanced at Miku with panic, and Miku giggled. She was so used to children and sugar-hyped people like Teto that it wasn't really a bother. "Ohayo, Teto-chan, Haku-chan. Teto-chan, why are you so happy today?" Miku had a natural inquisition, and it was no wonder her little siblings had it too. "Guess!" Teto chirped, still hopping up and down like a rabbit.

"Guess guess guess! It has something to do with a boy asking me out! A really really _cute_ boy! And it's not Ritsu-chan either. It's a boy that is taller than me, but I'm five-foot-two and so of course he's taller than me so I'll give you another hint, 'kay?"

"Teto-chan."

"He has black hair!"

"Teto-chan-"

"I call him 'Kuro' because we used to know each other back when we were kids? Kuroneko, remember that? I remember and he remembers!"

"Teto-chan I-"

"Actually, Kuro-kun does look like a cat, right, Ha-chan? He's got such pretty golden eyes!"

"It's Kagene-kun, isn't it?"

Teto gasped. "Wowie! Mi-chan must be psychic! Now tell me what I'm thinking!" The pinkette squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. Miku covered her mouth to stifle the giggles rising in her throat. One of Teto's big, pretty red eyes snapped open. "Mi-chan hasn't figured it out yet?" She said in her cute little voice. "You're thinking of Croissants baked golden brown with fresh margarine melting on it, am I right? You're also thinking of Kagene-kun holding your hand and walking you to a bakery. You can smell love in the air just as much as the baguettes," Miku sighed. She liked entertaining Teto's crazy thoughts.

Teto stepped back. "MI-CHAN IS A PSYCHIC! OHMYGOSHMI-CHAN!" She ran off and darted through the crowd like a chimera with fast-beating wings. Her twin drills were bouncing with every movement. Miku felt like she had unleashed a creature that hugged people to death. She liked entertaining Teto-chan's ideas, yes, but she didn't want to go overboard. She could hold back the bottle for a minute or two.

Haku smiled at her. "Well, if anyone can control her, it's Rei-kun right?" Said the pale girl. Miku grinned. "You styled your hair differently! I like the braid, Haku-chan. It looks lovely." The girl's face burned red. "Thanks Miku-chan," she said with a soft voice. Miku laughed. "I wonder if Teto will make it to class on time without Kagene-kun," she thought aloud. Rei, Teto, Haku and Neru Akita had grown up together. They were a close-knit group of friends, and when they started middle school they accepted Miku with open arms. Although Miku never really spoke to Rei, they had this form of communicative glances. Through said glances they had held entire conversations before.

(Rei=bold Miku=italics)

_Are you hungry?_

**Actually, yes.**

_Do you think Teto knows a place to eat a good, quick lunch?_

**Absolutely. I mean, she doesn't eat too much but she's like an unofficial food critic.**

_I agree. Will you ask? I need to call my little brother._

**But of course.**

Rei always left Miku wondering if he was just that good at understanding others. Even after Teto started calling them "Kuro-kun and Mi-chan's Staring Contests," no one ever questioned their meaning or frequency. As a result she always considered these teens as part of her family. The bigger it got, the happier it was. Ritsu considered Teto a sister from a different Mister. And Missus. Yes, even Lui got along well with Rei, which made Miku so happy.

Miku grabbed Haku's hand. "Let's go on a quick Teto Hunt. Their camouflage is not the best in comparison to the hallway." Haku laughed. "Okay. We're off to see the Teto~, the Wonderful Teto of Ours~!" They shared the quick jokes of their big, nine-member family and walked down the hall in search of pink hair.

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"Gee, if Teto wasn't such a good hider I think we would have been done looking by now," Haku sighed, and she continued doodling Teto with bat wings. The pinkette had once claimed she was part chimera, and the group agreed without a doubt. Miku nodded solemnly. "Lunch is in five minutes. I don't know what could have happened to her to make her miss lunch!" The tealette brushed her hair out of her eyes and dug around in her pocket for a hairpin. She absolutely hated having hair in her eyes. She couldn't wait for her next visit to the barber.

"You think...maybe Teto-chan was kidnapped?" Haku bit her lip and hugged her small notebook closer to her chest. Miku shook her head, still playing with her bangs. She was about to clip them back with a borrowed hairpin (Thank you, Fashionista Ritsu!) When Haku gasped. "Miku-chan, there's Teto-chan!" Haku looked excited with a smile lifting the corners of her pale lips, but suddenly it stopped cold. Miku dropped her bangs. Some small figure was hugging their knees, hidden away in the corner. Miku immediately knew it was Teto with her shiny twin drills drooping a little. The girls proceeded cautiously, wondering what could put a damper on someone so cheery. But Haku supplied an answer. "Defoko must have done this again," she said softly. They sped up their approach.

"Teto-chan, we found you!" Miku said with relief flooding from her voice. Teto looked up, and Miku saw her big red eyes watering. Her lip trembled and she whimpered like an injured dog, releasing a wave of large tears. "M-Mi-chan!" She sobbed, burying her face at once into the girl's shoulder. Miku stroked her back in a way that made her reflect on the morning, when she had been crying as well. Her shoulder felt damp. "What's wrong, Pink Song?" Haku asked lightly, since Teto liked rhymes and it should have made the situation a little less terrible. "Why cry, butterfly?" Miku added, hoping that would help. Teto shook her head. "De-Defoko and Suko-Tei have awful pictures of m-me on their phones! They said...they said they'll post them on the internet if I don't openly call myself a wh-whore! What do I do? What do I do, what do I do, Ha-chan, Mi-chan?!"

Miku's expression hardened. "Haku-chan, go and take Teto to Kagene-kun. I'm going to have a word with those girls," she said firmly. Teto's big eyes impossibly widened. "N-no! Mi-chan, if you talk to them it's going to get w-worse!" She cried, wiping her eyes dry and standing up. Haku put a hand gently on the girl's petite shoulder. "When I bring them together, I'll round up the strongest people I know, okay?" The silver-haired girl assured, then she led Teto away.

Although Miku did not really know those girls, she had an idea where they might be hanging around. _If they want to hurt my family_, she thought proudly, _they need to go through me, ten times!_ And when she passed the bend that led to the south exit, she saw a girl with chin-length, shining purple hair. Defoko certainly had a pretty laugh, but she was quite mean. Tei Sukone was leaning against a wall right next to the girl, and she was busy filing her nails. After holding them out for inspection, she said, "I wonder if Kasane is still crying. All we did was take a picture, right?" They were both pretty, with smooth skin and shiny, silky hair and depths of ever-changing color for eyes. But deep down, Miku understood that they were not that pretty.

"I know. Do you think anyone noticed she was gone?" Defoko snorted. She ran her thin, delicate fingers through her hair. "We did," Miku answered, walking tall. She knew she could never intimidate someone, but the best thing to do when facing a bully is pretending to be strong. Teto's impossibly white hair swished as she snapped her head around to see the tealette alone. She laughed and tucked her nail file away. "Even if no one cares enough to notice when you're gone, Defoko-san, Teto-chan has people who love her enough to look." The purple-haired teen grumbled in frustration. "My name is Utane Uta! NOT DEFOKO!" She spat. "No one actually knew that, Defoko," Miku said calmly. "If you'll delete the pic, I will have no problems calling you Uta-senpai for the rest of my life. But don't you understand how you're hurting her?" Tei snickered. "Uta-chan, upload that to Facebook," she said with glee shining in her eyes. "Kay-kay," Defoko said, and she smiled her perfect smile. Miku gulped.

"I warned you!" The tealette cried as she snatched the pale indigo phone from Defoko. "Hey!" The girl snapped. Miku ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She wasn't very athletic, so that was a problem. Still, she caught them off guard and they weren't any faster than her. She passed people and ashen beige walls, all of them staring. It never occurred to her she was breaking a school rule, not once. Panting, she looked down and realized that some awful way or another these sick girls managed to take naked photos of poor Teto. She deleted every one quickly, making sure she didn't look too long. And though Miku did not prefer revenge, she was angry at the number of pictures Defoko took. She went speedily through and deleted a good number of pics and, before she thought twice, a few of the contacts.

The thing about defending her family? Miku didn't know when she was getting carried away. What Defoko did was awful. It took a lot of willpower not to change the pass code. Suddenly she slammed into something hard and warm. Defoko's phone went flying out of her hand while she hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Miku, are you being chased by a rabid bitch?" Neru gasped, tugging Miku up by the arm. Tei and Defoko stopped cold, three feet away from Miku's landing spot. Rei was standing next to her. His honey-colored eyes rested on her.

**You okay?**

_I went out fine. The pictures are gone for good. Where's Teto?_

**She's asleep. We left her with Haku.**

Miku sighed with relief. Neru looked at Tei with disgust. "I was right," the yellow-haired girl was looking down at Tei and Miku was grateful for having a strong person on her side. "I'm impressed! You learned how to use a phone just in time to call backup," Tei sneered. "I'm impressed you trained it to say comebacks, Defoko," Neru challenged. The girls stayed in their spots, but if Miku knew Neru, she knew the girls wanted nothing more than to reach for each other's necks and squeeze out every last breath. Defoko scoffed. "It's annoying when bush-brow decides to show her face," she seethed. "What did you say? I can't hear over your lisp, honey," Neru said, cupping her ear. If Defoko's comment had an effect, Miku couldn't tell. All she knew was that neither showed signs of backing down, and Miku wasn't sure she could make them. Maybe this afternoon would be longer than expected.

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Shrimpy: this was poorly edited and published late. I'm so sorry.

YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE MAD

I AM

THERE AIN'T NO HAKUDELL AND SHRIMPY ISN'T DOING ANY TSILY ETC.


	3. Chapter 3

Shrimpy: Well, procrastination, you've won this time. I'm working on this instead homework. But I swear, I'm getting revenge somehow, later on.

We packed a lot into this chapter, and I edited better this time, but I still think it might be bad.

WHATEVER KEEPS THIS HUMAN FEEDING ME

I'M WITH IT

WE DON'T OWN VOCALOID.

ALSO, THE HUMAN DOESN'T OWN ME

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"Are you done screwing with my friends, braceface?" Neru demanded, tucking her yellow cell phone into her pocket. Defoko laughed. "If you wanted your face messed up you should've kept it the way it was," she commented, and she gestured to Tei. "I didn't want to get in trouble this week so we're making it fast. Tei-chan, I know you just got your nails done, but..." Tei balled her hands up into fists. "You SO owe me a smoothie."

The white-haired girl drew her first back, then swung at Neru. Rei pulled her back just in time. Tei missed. "You gonna help out our drag me out when they aim?" Neru demanded, tugging his hand off of her shoulder. "I can't hit a girl," Rei said with a frown. Neru sighed. She then proceeded to punch Tei back. Except the scary thing about Tei was her strength. She grabbed Neru's fist as it was five inches from her face. Miku noticed the tension in the struggle when Tei's tight grip was shaking. Suddenly she threw Neru's fist aside and kicked the girl in the shin, where she obviously wasn't expecting a blow.

Neru cried out in pain. Then, gritting her teeth, she grabbed Tei's shoulders and thrust her knee into the other girls stomach. Tei yelled a wordless cry, coughing with the sheer force delivered to her weak stomach. Neru shoved her away, and she stumbled back into the wall. "Uta-chan-" Tei began to gag. She gaped, then turned to Neru with a scowl. She charged up and punched Neru abruptly. Blood freely ran from her nose. Neru touched her stained skin to get a good look at the dark liquid. "Oh, you've done it now," she growled, and she prepared to hit the shorter girl.

"Stop!" Their fight had moved to the other side of the hall, and Miku couldn't let them be hurt so badly. Rei was panicking alongside her. He tried tending to Tei, but the girl shoved him away. "Stop! Neru-chan, please!" Their was a bleeding cut along Tei's right eye brow, and Neru's red cheek was swelling along her refined cheekbone to the jaw. Miku ran over immediately, before Rei could prevent her from getting involved.

"Sukotei-san! Neru-chan! Please!" Miku grabbed Neru's elbow and pulled her away from Tei, who was huffing angrily. "Tei, let's bail! We're totally fucked if we stay here any longer!" Defoko said tensely, not moving out of her spot. Miku could tell by her expression that she meant to leave. But the red-eyed girl ignored all protests and swung her fist at one last attempt of revenge. The punch landed directly on Miku, who had turned around to also stop the crazier, pale girl.

Miku felt pain blooming from the side of her face. At first, she blinked, reaching dazedly for her cheek, and it hurt. Tei immediately put down her hands and stepped back. "Hatsune...I..." Miku bit her trembling lip to hold in the sob that wanted desperately to escape her throat. Tears flooded from her eyes, each crystal drop burning. That was when Rei walked up to Tei. "How _dare_ you!" He snapped. Neru grabbed the tealette's hand and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry, Miku-chan," she said, tightening her arms around Miku. "I...I didn't mean to hit _her_!" Tei snarled, stepping back shaking every time Rei took a step closer.

The information didn't matter much to the infuriated raven, as he exploded with sharp comments and opinions and just _anger_. Ah, Rei, the more caring, brotherly one.

Miku was now scared. She didn't want to cry, because she didn't even feel like crying. She didn't want to be a burden or be embarrassed, either. What could she do? She stayed with her head on Neru's shoulder, quietly crying into the girl's black hoodie.

_Remember Ren? Just remember him. Do for yourself what he couldn't. Protect the ones you love._

Miku squeezed the blue gem in her grasp. That's right. Ren. She pushed herself off of Neru, and walked over with her head higher. She grasped the raven's arm and pulled him away gently. "Rei, conversing with these lax characters will do nothing. We've done what was necessary, and there is no need to waste another minute on minor details." She almost seemed to look down at Tei, the hostile, wild animal trapped in a corner. "Uh...huh..." Neru said, her brow furrowed.

"Let's go eat lunch, okay? And we can talk to Teto-chan about her newest candy discovery," Miku giggled, and she tugged them away from the shocked girls. The further away they walked, the sweeter Miku seemed to appear, like a painted smile. "Miku...did that punch hurt more than it appears to?" Neru asked. "And you called me by my name," Rei added. Miku gasped, delighted. "Rei-kun spoke to me!" She said excitedly. "And I'm fine, thank you for asking. Ren-kun gave me the courage to act out of character and get us out of there. I'm sorry if I frightened you. It was just my intention to sound mature."

"You succeeded," Rei muttered, traces of surprise still gilded in his honey-colored eyes. Miku giggled again. "Good! And anyway, Teto-chan mentioned your date." Rei flushed with crimson. "Ah...I asked her to keep it a secret...but we all know Teto can't keep a secret," he replied bashfully. "Well, whatevs. I really have to clean up before anyone suspects the fight," Neru sighed. Her large yellow eyes flitted to Miku. "Maybe you'd like to...well, I mean, you bruise like Momo*."

Miku tapped her cheek again. The sight sting reminded her of her problem. "How bad?" "You could paint your other cheek with lipstick and it wouldn't show a difference." "Oh..." Miku nodded as Neru walked with her to the bathroom. "You girls punch hard," Miku muttered, pouting. She touched her cheek again and it still stung. "She was wearing a ring. And I was wearing my own skin. I'm tough as nails, Jeez!" Neru rolled her eyes and quietly opened the bathroom door.

* * *

"Did you hear from Defoko?" Whispered the girl, twirling a strange of thick blond hair. She was leaning against a locker. With a charming smile, the girl retold the story she heard. "Hatsune Miku changed like a two-faced bitch! One second she was crying, and the next she was all business. I heard," the girl rattled, "she said something like, 'let's not deal with commoners.'" Her piercing blue eyes kept contact with the engaged green eyes of her friend, Momone Momo. The pinkette hung onto every word. "Really?" Her sweet voice demanded. The blond blew her wild hair out of her wild eyes. "It's what I heard."

Teto, after having been saved and also having some rest, was back to her normal, bouncy behavior. She hung onto Rei's arm, and Haku was having a mini meltdown after hearing that her very best friend had been beat by the freaky "Sukotei." That was the nickname that stuck after middle school. And Miku? Miku was staring at her bracelet, looking forlorn. Her face was calm, but her eyes were sad. Rei noticed. Of course, Rei always noticed. He slid a sympathetic glance, because he knew why she was sad.

_Ren-kun, I wonder when was the last time I visited you...I'm sorry I've been leaving you alone. I never left you alone when you were just a little puppy...I can't neglect you now!_

Miku gripped the precious gem on her bracelet, staring into its gorgeous blue depths. Then she looked up at the rushing people in the bright, airy cafeteria. There were clusters of friends, just like her own, chatting loudly. The noise seemed so thick you could cut it with a knife. What made them so loud? The light from the huge windows flooded into the place, showering everyone with afternoon sun. A sun that, despite being alive, she knew their were people who only got the chance to see it a few times. Like Ren.

_I can't neglect you now, not if I love you._

Miku decided to pay Ren a visit. She hadn't done so in a long time, and she hoped he would forgive her. What with Ritsu getting sick, and Teto getting picked on, she couldn't be more tied up. Suddenly, she was tuned in to Teto's excited cries, sounding like a babbling brook. "And then Mi-chan guessed I was thinking that! Plus, the fact that Miku and you have staring contests to connect your psychic powers, you are both psychics!" Teto concluded, eating the buttered bread from her Bento box.

Rei laughed, something Miku had rarely ever seen him do when he was not at Teto's side. This was part of the reason they seemed...made for each other, at times. It made the tealette feel happy, but at the same time it made her sad. Like she was lonely. Like she was just the tiniest bit _jealous_. But she brushed that thought away immediately. She didn't need a boyfriend, not when she had so much to take care of in her family. Still, that didn't prevent the occasional crush, like the one she had on Yuuma. Yuuma was absolutely flawless. He was handsome, smart, kind, and strong. He was the school heart throb.

Miku's cheeks heated up at the thought of him. She shook her head furiously. "What's wrong, Mi-chan? Thinking about a boy?" Teto rightly guessed. "No, no!" Miku laughed nervously, "I'm okay! Mm, today's curry is super delicious! You have to bring some next time, Teto!" Still flustered, Miku spooned some hot curry into her mouth. It tasted awful, salty and thick like...salted ice cream, if salted ice cream was hot or real. She tried to force it down her throat. "Now I _know_ you were thinking about a boy. That's the cafeteria curry," Teto said with a frown. Miku immediately spit out the slop and gulped down some milk.

"It's nothing, really! I overreacted about something, because Teto-chan makes interrogations scary," Miku cried, trying to explain herself. However, her explanations weren't convincing to the pinkette, who pouted. "You should probably get a boyfriend or something, actually," Neru drawled, lacing her fingers together. "I-I don't have the time! I've got so much to do! Also, I plan to visit Ren-kun today, so I won't be seeing you this afternoon, okay!" Miku tried to conceal her red face. That wasn't possible. She had her bangs clipped back. Jeez, she couldn't be more flustered. In fact, not even Haku could be.

"Aww, you mean your puppy? Mi-chan really loves her friends and family! Right, Kuro-kun?" Teto looked at Rei expectantly. "Yes," the raven agreed, "but I also think Miku-san should find something else. You can't spend all your life with your family." The last part was directed at the tealette, who shook her head. "If I didn't have lots of work to do! Between fixing up the house, taking care of four children, and school work, I don't have spare time. Stop pressuring me," she muttered, now gingerly sipping her milk. "You make time for Ren-kun," Teto chided.

"Ren-kun is the second most important person of my childhood - er, most important dog in my life. I think I _need_ to make time for him."

"Make more time for Yuuma. After all, he's the boy you've been thinking about," Neru said as she studied her nails. Couldn't they stop teasing her? Only Haku said nothing, just doodling in her notebook. "I-I have to go, um, oh! I need to speak with my Math teacher! I'm taking up extra credit to help with my grades, you see," Miku said, and as she abruptly rose she flashed her carefree smile. She dashed off, grateful that she really did need conference with her math teacher. Teto waved, but that was it from her friends. Rei had a sceptical look and Neru was ogling at Haku's drawings.

* * *

After the day presented itself in a blur of English, biology, and math (which she was failing in), Miku promptly called Lui and told him she would not be home for another few hours.

"_Ane-san, be careful_," Lui said softly, his voice sounding tired. "It's alright, Lui-kun! I'll be home in no time!" She chirped, and she hung up before he said another word. She rode patiently on the bus, as usual, and took a small stop for tulips. She wouldn't dare come back empty-handed. While heading to see Ren, she kept reminding herself of the things about him that she loved.

Ren was a deformed puppy. The deformity was that one of his eyes wasn't normal. But, other than that, he had been abused so badly that he...he _cried_ when Miku held him, yapping so sadly, because no human being had ever handled him gently. He had been raised in a cage, constantly injured with things as simplistic as a newspaper or as dangerous as a fire extinguisher. She met him through Kaito, if she could recall, because he wanted to get her a puppy.

Miku watched the cars ride by in the colorful streets as tears streaked down her face. She had named the poor puppy, patched up his wounds and played with him. Ren was the most important thing in the world to her back then. He never left her side when she took him to a park, but she knew that simply looking at these things she had taken for granted, he saw a world even brighter than she did. As she remembered more about the puppy, Miku wiped her cheeks. She's cried THREE times today, and that wasn't exactly a good thing.

The bus halted suddenly, in the middle of remembering the lovely times. She picked up her things and walked out of the vehicle, studying carefully the sky above. Even though it had been raining hard not too long ago, maybe five days, the sky seemed to behave in whatever way it wanted, bright blue and lovely without a single cloud. She took a moment to admire the sunlight warm across the dancing leaves in the trees. This place was warmer and prettier than the city. Probably the reason people choose it. Clutching the tulips, Miku walked slowly over the paved road, walking what felt like a mile.

She was surrounded by grassy fields. There were some people, but not very many, as no one had enough time to take the excruciatingly long drive to and from the area (almost two hours to drive here) on a week night. She stopped at the large arch with the iron gates, open in welcome. The bold lettering said "Ten no Nokori no Petto Bochi." Heavenly Rest Pet Cemetery. Even though everything seemed to have this peaceful glow about it, Miku couldn't help but long to leave every time she read those letters. This field was established by a farmer who decided to make a pet cemetery, since there weren't _very many_ in Japan...

She walked through the iron gates, feeling a mix of sadness and relief and the irritating sense that, despite being alone, she was being watched. She glanced back. Seeing nothing, Miku continued walking around to find Ren's grave. She saw many headstones, but nothing that read the name "Ren." The tealette stepped over many graves, feeling strangely evil for loitering on the grass that grew out of them. She didn't like the idea of death, and certainly not the idea of disturbing the dead. Almost by instinct, Miku spun around and was delighted to find the grey stone that read, "Here lies Ren, the pup taken before his time." It may have been cheesy to find that written about a dog, but it was only true.

Miku trudged across, carefully avoiding grave markers. She knelt before the headstone, setting down her bag. "Hello, Ren-kun," she said softly, placing a hand on the cool surface. A slight breeze swayed the grass as well as her vibrant teal hair. This was Ren's final home, his final resting place. Miku never thought it would get so bad, when she took him in. He began to get comfortable around humans. No longer could she feel his ribs when she rubbed his belly. He waged his tail all the time. She helped him calm down when the vets ran their tests, and he stopped getting bad wounds. He was growing just like he was supposed to.

And then, her father came home. He greatly disapproved of the dog, as well as the fact that mommy and Kaito allowed it. After a great deal of trouble, Dad won. Ren was put down unjustly, and Ren never saw the sun again. While it wasn't really possible that Miku could hate a person, she lost all appreciation for her father. And, as Ren-kun had tried till the very end, she was going to protect everyone she could.

Miku didn't really feel like crying anymore. She nestled the tulips on the grass, and even though she had so much to say, she didn't see the reason for anymore words. In the end she made herself speak her mind. "I missed you. I still miss you. Are you happy where you are? You deserve it. Really. Because of you, my life couldn't be better," she said, laughing just a little. Her answer was silence. "Recently, my friends have been getting picked on by Sukotei and Defoko. I was very afraid, but if it weren't for you I would have never had the courage to prevent an even worse fight. I was hit hard! I think I'll get a bruise that I'll spend weeks hiding." Following her words was more silence.

"I'm sorry I haven't seen you earlier than today. I love you." Again, she was hit hard with the wordless air. It was heartbreaking, even if she knew he couldn't answer. It didn't feel childish to speak to someone she cared about. It felt childish to make it sound more like a message she was leaving on his phone. Not that he had a phone. She sighed, hugging her knees to herself. She needed to stop living in the past, but she always did anyway. Then she heard the shuffling of feet across grass. She immediately stood up, greeted by a gang of suspicious-looking young men. They were all looking directly at her, like predators watching their injured prey as it took its final minutes desperately flopping about. It made her feel like they were going to kill her.

"A-am I in the way? Are you visiting a pet?" She asked, cursing herself for sounding frightened even though the question itself was useless. She planted herself in place. Their leader, or so he seemed, had a hood that covered most of his face. "Actually, miss, we'd like to have a word with you. You _are_ Hatsune Miku?" She said and did nothing, looking into the eyes she couldn't see. She was shockingly afraid, glued to the slot above Ren's grave. "You're going to give us all of your cash, your cellphone, and your bracelet," he continued, revealing a sleek baseball bat.

That factor seemed to do the trick, and she bolted away. She forgot about the bodies buried beneath her and, in complete terror, she crossed a lot of land. She caught occasional glimpses of the men, persistently chasing after her. She knew full well that they would catch her some time or another, but she wanted to live and go to college and get a job and fall in love and have kids and grow old. She did not want to die before she did any of those things. Admittedly, Miku didn't care to do a couple of those things. But it's not like that mattered at this point.

_What were they going to do? I'm scared...Kami-sama, I'm so scared, I don't understand what's happening..._

she kept running, and after a good many streets were between her and the school, she stopped. She scanned her surroundings while sucking in astounding measures of air. The buildings were shabby, blocking the light. There was trash strewn across everything, graffiti coating walls on every turn. She could smell the foul scent of urban decay, something she never imagined had a scent. It did, however; a perfume of car exhaust and overflowing dumpsters. This was the shady street she had always heard a bit but never seen until now. She looked around for a sign of the robbers, but found none. Now, to get out.

"I'm safe," she said to herself. But at what cost? Her cell phone was in her back pack, in the cemetery, blocks away, and she couldn't go back if they were waiting for her. While she was thinking, she had absent-mindedly trained her eyes on a bum, sitting against the wall of a dead end alley. His back was pressed against the bricks, and he took a swig of sake. He was old and worn. Then, he looked up at her with eyes that had seen too many things. Unlike Ren, the poor puppy who had seen too little.

Miku sighed. To think she had wanted to visit Ren today. The old man was six feet away from her. She jumped when she heard the loud laughter of a group of men. They sauntered closer to the alley, one with a baseball bat over his shoulders. She jumped behind a dumpster. The odor was overwhelming, but she was too afraid to be revolted. She should've helped that old man get out of there, but she didn't know how.

"We're giving you a chance to live, old man," boomed the leader. His hood had fallen off during the run, revealing dark brown hair, but other than he didn't look different from the rest. The old man looked up, and his eyes were wide with terror. He forced himself to stand and began to amble away. His walk was off, like he was already hurt. The guy wasn't finished talking. "All we want is for you to tell us where the girl has gone. If you don't, we have other very convincing ways to get the truth out of you," he announced, and he raised his bat. He brought it down. Miku squeezed her eyes shut. When she heard the crack, she wanted to sob. The old man groaned and wheezed like the air had been knocked out of ever inch of his body.

She had to do something, or an innocent person would get badly hurt. There was a second crack. Then a guttural howl of agony. "You in pain, old man? Need help? Here, let's put you out of your misery!" Another crack. Miku couldn't bear to let it happen again. She gripped the bracelet so tightly she cut her skin on the thin gold that framed the gem. She could have sworn she heard low beep. The tealette slipped out from behind the grimy metal dumpster. "Leave him alone!" Miku cried. The man looked up, as well as the old bum. "Oh, did you decide to save on old shit bag?" She gulped, then stepped in front of the old man. This was the right thing, so it shouldn't matter if she got hurt.

"You're...you're monsters! How could you hurt someone who never did anything to you?! Do you have no shame, parading in a posse to beat poor strangers?!" The group snickered. "We are ashamed. Way to rehabilitate young men," laughed the man with dark chestnut hair. "Tell ya what. If you give us the bracelet, we won't hurt you."

Miku shook her head, stepping back in the alley. Their focus was on her wrist, the gem of her precious bracelet shining oddly. It had never come to something like this before, and she never thought anyone would try to take something so precious to her. Maybe that was selfish, trying to keep it, but this bracelet reminded her of Kaito and Ren, who are very important to her, and she didn't ever want to let go of what little she had left of them. The two who were snatched away from her. She felt cold sweat trickle down the nape of her neck. No sun reached this dark end of a filthy street, making her even more fearful.

They had her in the corner, like she had done with Tei. Now, however, she had no strength to bite back. She was going to be killed by people who knew her name, though she had never seen any of them in her entire life. "Come on, Miku-sama, were giving you an opportunity to live. Are you going to be the reason of your own demise?" She shuddered, and responded, "who are you? H-how do you know me?" They had formed a ring around her. The man only chuckled, lifting his baseball once more. "We don't have all day, Miku-sama. Unfortunately, we just can't tell you. We'll just have to pry that thing from your Cold. Dead. Hands."

Then a figure dropped down from the top of the brick building. It didn't make a sound, nor did it seem hurt. Her jaw dropped as she watched the person seize the bat in midair, definitely before it reached her. Said bat was ripped from her attacker's grasp and bashed into the of his head before anyone knew what was going on. The brown haired man crumpled to the ground before her, with a mess of blood. Miku seemed to take forever to look up at the person who had just saved her.

He was blond, very tall, and very angry-looking. His eyes were cold and blue - wait, scratch that. One of his eyes was covered with an eye patch. He gave the rest of the group a glance before muttering something in a language that was very unfamiliar to Miku. Then came the part that terrified her. "I'll give you the choice," he began, cracking his knuckles. "You'll die quickly like cowards, or you make the stupid decision to fight and die like idiots."

One of the men took out a big, dangerous looking knife and charged at the mysterious man. But his reaction time was so fast it was inhuman. He grabbed the attacker by the wrist and and twisted his arm. He flipped the poor criminal over and tossed him into another two who were running at him. This caused hysterical screams and shouts and movements of a blur, all around her. Miku sat stupidly, watching the blond man take the knife and insert it deep into the jugular of yet another hooded man.

Blood spattered, but he seemed to do a good job of keeping the mess off of himself. By the time he finished mutilating everyone save herself, there was one left alive with his leg bent at a horrifying angle. To further shock the poor girl, the stranger bent down at the level of the men, whose back was pressed against the wall. He took the knife and jammed it into the broken leg, earning a shout of agony, and it was something Miku came to understand no person should ever have to make.

"Who sent you?" The blond demanded darkly, his eyes level and piercing. The man shook his head, uselessly trying to pry the stranger's hand away. "I don't know, I don't know! Please don't, I don't wanna die! I'll go to federal prison, I'll never - GHHK!" He tried to hold in a horrifying howl, desperately tugging. The blond's eye narrowed. "I'm not an idiot, so I'll give you one more fucking chance. Who sent you?"

He twisted the knife, making the man gasp and cry and shout. "He didn't say, he just gave us the money and told us where to find her! PLEASE, TAKE THE KNIFE OUT OF MY LEG." The stranger sighed, yanking the blood-coated blade from the hooded man's leg. Then he plunged it into the man's chest, making him sputter, then die. The blond stood up, the knife clattering onto the ground.

Miku heard her own heart pounding as she sat there, frozen with shock. She had just witnessed genocide, but she had yet to be killed herself. She let go of her shuddering breath, which she had been holding in this entire time. Suddenly, the man peeled off white gloves she hadn't noticed he was wearing. They were absolutely coated with blood, and they fell into yet another pool of dark red liquid. He looked at her, his gaze burning and murderous. He walked over to her slowly, examining the pitiful teen amongst the bodies. Dead bodies.

When he stopped right in front of her, she released the belated shriek of terror, quaking as the murderer stooped down. He clapped a hand over her mouth. In a low whisper, he said to her, "Stop screaming or I'll cut your tongue out. You're coming with me, and you're not asking questions. Can you stand?" She said nothing, her teal eyes so wide she couldn't get them any wider. "Can you stand?" He repeated, and somehow his voice sounded less harsh. She attempted to get onto her feet, but her legs collapsed and she almost hit the ground. The man caught her before she did.

Holding her so that her knees wouldn't fail her, he pulled out a phone and began speaking into it, in that same, unrecognizable language he had used before. Slowly, Miku began to think he was helping her.

_That's crazy, though! He just threatened me, and now he's taking me along with him!_

She glanced up at him. While he was not hard to stare at (he was, *cough* attractive) she found it hard to look at him. "W-where are you t-taking me?" She asked. He cut her a curt glare. It was obvious that he didn't like her company, but this made her think he would rather she was dead. "I said, you're not asking questions. However, our fucking protocol requires that I explain where you're going so you don't flip shit or something like that. A car is coming to take you to Megurine Luka, who will answer your questions. Until we reach her I will be responsible for your safety even though I'm pretty Goddamn sure you can take care of yourself during a car ride. Long story short: we're stuck with each other while we haul ass to find out why I saved you."

Miku didn't like his strong language, but she just nodded, afraid and wondering why she wasn't as afraid of him as she was before.


End file.
